Hamilton quickest in opening testing day

The first of two days of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir began on Tuesday, with all 10 teams competing in the 2017 Formula One Championship being present.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set the quickest time (1:31.358) with Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson recording the most laps (106).

"Today was tricky with it being so hot and very gusty but we still managed to get through plenty of work", Hamilton concluded.

"Our focus was on advancing our understanding of the tyres and also the rear of the car so that we can improve our long runs – particularly during the race and on the SuperSoft compound. We came here with a specific goal, so it was positive to get on top of that with the team. Sochi is a smoother track and less abrasive on the tyres, so they can go quite a long way. Hopefully we can rely on the pace of our car there rather than our use of the tyres."